Feds Review Colleton's Office Operations

Sources Hint This Is Part Of A Review Of Whether Larry Colleton Should Remain U.s. Attorney.

June 24, 1994|By Jim Leusner of The Sentinel Staff

Four federal prosecutors are being sent to Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa and Fort Myers to review office operations of embattled U.S. Attorney Larry Colleton.

Employees were notified this week that a team was coming and would conduct interviews. No inspection was scheduled, and sources suggest it is part of a U.S. Justice Department review of whether Colleton should remain in office.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment Thursday.

Colleton, 36, of Orlando has been U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida since December. He took a 30-day leave of absence on May 11 after an on-camera scuffle with a reporter trying to question him about office matters in Jacksonville.

The FBI is investigating allegations that Colleton threatened defense lawyers who advocated an inquiry into the handling of the 1992 obscenity prosecution of Duval County Judge Richard Kreidler, who killed himself a month after being indicted on charges of receiving pornographic videotapes. Defense lawyers complained that a Jacksonville federal prosecutor's husband who received similar tapes was not prosecuted.

Colleton had been scheduled to return to office June 13, but his leave was continued indefinitely because the Justice Department had not concluded its investigation.

His lawyer, Mark NeJame, has said Colleton did nothing wrong and is optimistic he will return. NeJame did not return phone calls this week from a reporter.

Justice Department prosecutor Donna Bucella has been serving as acting U.S. attorney in Colleton's absence, and it is unclear how much longer she will remain in that post.